Blackpool’s newest theatre launches new writing festival

‘Power Plays’ is a four-month long festival aimed at establishing The Old Electric as Blackpool’s home of new writing. The OE already hosts a core programme of participatory activity including an annual playwriting course which has supported 50 new local playwrights over the last seven-years. Power Plays is the next stage in that journey for the organisation, writers, audiences and partners to programme a range of very practical and active ways for people to think about the stories that are important to them, that connect with Blackpool in some way and how they could be brought to life on stage.

The programme will be multi-layered, kicking off with a three-month paid writer-in-residence opportunity supported by Factory International as part of their Northern place-based partnership programme. A Primary schools programme involving in-school workshops and Teacher Professional Development led by the National Theatre as part of their Let’s Perform initiative. 16-25s will be guided to connect with peers from Barrow-in-Furness based Theatre Factory as part of their 17-year strong The Apprentices Project. Connections have also been forged across Lancashire, with Lancaster’s the dukes and their new writing programme BlastFest.

Alongside paid roles for directors, actors and an assistant producer, keynote masterclass sessions from internationally acclaimed playwrights and visiting productions that provide dynamic insights to new ways of working, Power Plays will invite writers to submit scripts to a panel of professional readers. This panel will include individuals from groundbreaking originators Headlong, Manchester-based Cultural Democracy and leading UK producer of queer-led, intersectional performance, parties, heritage and radical community gatherings, Marlborough Productions. The competition will invite writers to showcase themes that have resonance to Blackpool for consideration to be developed into a professional production hosted at The Old Electric as the climax to the festival in July 2024; this piece would be supported to tour in 2025.

Melanie Whitehead who is Artistic Director at The Old Electric said: “I’m really interested to see what comes out of this, what new ideas and reflections on Blackpool emerge, how people see the town in 2024 and how that connects with our local residents. This feels like an exciting opportunity to put Blackpool onstage in new ways; to support homegrown artists as well as theatre-makers from across the country to reflect on how the stories we tell in and about Blackpool are important and ever changing. We’re more than a nostalgia kick or a deprivation headline, I can’t wait to read some of the more nuanced reflections of the town.”

Following the pre-Christmas news about successful ACE funding application, the participation, professional and audience programme is being finalised and details will be announced before Easter 2024.

The Factory supported writer in residence brief is now live and applications are open until 26 January: https://theoldelectric.co.uk/artist-hub/writer-in-residence/

Assistant producer freelance job opportunity is open for applications until 19 January 2024. Full details here: https://theoldelectric.co.uk/artist-hub/opportunities/